Rebirth, Darling
by TheChiggyPen07
Summary: You are Waylong Park, and you have been running around through Mount Massive Asylum for quite some time. It may or may not be your birthday, but you don't let that bother you. No, you relish the ideas of a perfect birthday with your family. You just don't relish spending your birthday trapped with a mad man who's determined to get the perfect wife. (B-day fic for friend)


**Rated M for violent themes towards the end.**

Ah, this is my first attempt at an Outlast story. I hope I did well! This is a birthday gift for my best friend who shares a love of Outlast. Actually, they have an ask blog on Tumblr for Waylon that all of you lovely readers should check out! They cosplay, so all answers can almost guarantee a nice little gif to go with them. Just go look for 'askthewhistleblower'.

Happy Birthday!

* * *

What time is it? It's been so long since you've seen daylight, or a working clock for that matter. You know that before all of this utter shit happened to you, you had just been about to celebrate your birthday. It should be close, but it's hard to gauge time in this insane asylum. All you know is that you're hungry, tired, and very done with all of this craziness. So far, all of the vending machines you'd encountered had already been ransacked, none of the rooms were safe for sleeping, and a load of patients had tried attacking you.

The worst one so far would have to be that cannibal, Frank Manera, who had chased you through practically half of the building trying to kill you. The hunger reflected in his eyes hit you hard, reminding you of how hungry you were as well. Idly, you wonder if you would have had more protection if you would have joined that group torturing the scientist.

No, no that was wrong and you had to keep all of your morals in check. Right now, you are crouched down in a dark corner by a stack of mattresses, trying to regain your energy. Your stomach feels like a hollow pit, and unfortunately you think about the wonderful birthday dinner that Lisa would have prepared just for you.

She would have laid out a spread that would guarantee leftovers for about a week, and she would have baked you a cake where half was angel food and half was chocolate. A giant tub of frosting would be used to smother it, and would probably make you sick the next day. Michael and Aiden, your two little boys, would have run at you in an attempt to tackle you. They'd have grass stains on their clothes, and Aiden had lost his first tooth located somewhere in the front. In a hopelessly sneaky manner, they'd try to get you to open your presents before it was even time for that because they were just that eager. Aiden would have scribbled his 'name' on the card, trying hard to convey how much he was happy for you. Micheal would print in large, sloppy letters; evidence of his learning. They'd both seal their envelopes with little koala stickers that Lisa had supplied to them, always seeming to carry a few with her wherever she went.

Since they're not yet able to buy their own presents for you, you assume that the two would just pick out something small for your lovely wife to buy. Aiden would suggest a toy a majority of the time, and Michael would go along with him because he's Aiden, his precious little brother. You smile faintly, imagining that the two would have picked out some kind of action figure or koala toy for your birthday. You sigh sadly; right now a stuffed animal sounded lovely. You wonder how Lisa, Michael, and Aiden are doing, and you wonder about whether or not they're attempting to set up a birthday party for you. It's sad, but you have the itching feeling that that will be your last celebrated birthday.

Not unless you can get out of this god forsaken building.

But no, you have a job to fulfill. You not only want to get out, you want to expose Murkoff for what it really is so they have to stop operations. Already, so many victims have accumulated and you ended up becoming one of them. Grunting, you stand from your corner. Time to move on, no more thinking. Thinking just makes your chest ache, which makes your empty void of a stomach ache.

Creeping along, you have your camera up and ready for any kind of surprise that may come. Night vision takes up a lot of battery, so you try to keep off of it as much as you can. Only in dire situations do you ever turn it on, and thus far nothing was exactly 'dire'. You can't really tell where you are, but that's become a common occurrence. A ways back you recall reading a sign labeled 'Female Ward', and you kind of hope you won't come across any insane female patients. Pausing your step, you furrow your brow in deep thought. You hadn't seen any females while working for Murkoff... Were there really any? Dismissing this all as trivial, you continue and stop once more when you reach a window. Though it is blotchy and hard to see out of, you can tell that it is nighttime and that the moon is full. Maybe it is your birthday if you count the time that has passed correctly.

One year older and this is your reward for all of your struggles to hold onto life. What a wicked game Fate plays. Your mouth waters at the thought of Lisa's homemade cake, and you berate yourself for allowing distracting thoughts. Right now escape is all that should matter.

On a far wall, you see that some words had been written. 'Welcome Home' you read quietly, tracing a hand underneath the text. You can imagine Lisa's sweet, lilting voice breathing that in relief as you walk through the front door, but all of that vanishes when you reach the partition right after. On a hospital bed lies what looks like some kind of... female. You can't really tell, but from what you know you don't really think this thing is actually a natural female. It wouldn't surprise you to find that this is a mutilated male. Actually, now that you think about it, the other room had some strange looking mannequins dressed in... well, dresses. Had those always been there? Had someone made them? You ignore the tickling sensation that has crawled down your neck and realize there is a ringing in your ears. From what? It turns out that there is some kind of music player nearby, cranking out an old tune that you had never heard before. It wasn't entirely unpleasant, and for some reason you lingered a minute longer just to listen.

The song reminded you of Lisa, how she was the perfect girl for you and how she had supplied you with two handsome sons. Oh how your heart ached to see them one last time, to celebrate and play with them under the sun before having to leave forever.

Wiping your eyes of moisture, you quickly bring your camera up just so the body can be caught on video before proceeding away. The rooms seem to get progressively darker, so you finally flip on the night vision after bumping into a table. Able to navigate a bit easier, you finally find a set of doors. One is blocked by a cabinet, but the other is clear so you reach down to give the door knob a jiggle. It's locked, so you look up and nearly jump back in surprise when you notice... a patient? Standing on the other side, eyes unnatural and smile blinding.

"Darling!" The man cried, turning away from the door to walk away. A cold sweat breaks out on your forehead and you can tell that he is coming for you. That's how it always is with these patients! Crouching down, you begin to stick to the shadows and the low tables for cover. The man is speaking, but too much adrenaline is going through your system to really make any sense of his words.

His voice has a kind of lisp, you note, and it suddenly reminds you of the lisp Aiden developed after losing his tooth. Little Aiden, who would have made it his job to help you blow out birthday candles because he liked the way the flames sputtered. You clenched your jaw and stopped, taking a deep breath to calm yourself. The man, you realize, is beginning to sound a bit impatient. He's checking under the tables, and you realize that you need to get away quickly before he finds your hiding spot. So, throwing caution to the wind, you dash out like a bat out of hell and book it towards the door. Loud footsteps echo behind you and you realize that the man has begun to chase you. He sounds fast.

Slamming through multiple doors and jumping over countless obstacles, you finally see a light coming from an elevator shaft. Perfect! Leaping from the ledge, you try to grab onto the emergency ladder. For a moment, you feel kind of like all of those fictional heroes that your boys love so much. Lisa would have laughed and called you her hero. The moment ended though as the ladder began to tip, and as it tipped the rungs broke away like raw angel hair noodles. You had a sensation of floating for a minute before crashing down, leg hitting bottom at such an angle that it broke the wood and lodged a splinter in your calf.

Crying out in pain, you feel your body give an involuntary shudder before you can finally work up the nerve to pull the thing out. You're not even that old, and already you're going to need a cane for walking. This birthday of yours just seemed to age you by thirty years or so. Up above, you hear the man beginning to yell. Now that you have a clearer view of him, you realize that he is Eddie Gluskin, the patient that was about to be tested for the Morphogenic Engine. You'd only seen him naked, but he seemed so... Oddly dapper now.

"Then die." He had growled down at you, and you just realized that he had ranted a mile at you. The elevator groaned before beginning to shudder upwards slowly, and you stumbled to stand. Your leg throbbed in protest, but you tried to ignore it. Instead, you blocked out the pain with thoughts of Lisa and her wonderful cooking. She'd prepare all of your favorite foods for you, and would even allow you to sneak in a few tastes before the whole thing is even done. She'd let you lick the batter and frosting straight from the spoon, and would even give you a small sliver of cake right after it came out of the oven.

That's just how much your wife spoiled you on your birthdays and you'd give anything to get that back.

"... we continue!"

You gasp, suddenly jolted out of your memories as a loud thumping is heard behind you. Of course Eddie hadn't given up on chasing you, he's just that determined. You remember reading his files; when he sought something, he got it. You remember countless candy necklaces and crayons being taken into his room because of his stubborn demands. At the time you'd thought of it as odd and amusing, but now it was just inconvenient.

Hobbling away, you tried to ignore the feeling of fresh blood squishing between your exposed toes as you ran. There were more words written on the walls along with more dresses, but you ignored them all in favor of hiding. You weren't stupid, you knew you couldn't outrun this Olympian of a man with an injured leg. The most you could hope for was some kind of hiding spot that would allow you to regain your wits and at least half of your energy. Soon, you came upon a room with book shelves and knocked over lockers. Lockers! You remember hiding in these before, and right now they seemed like a blessing. Limping over, you quickly cracked one open before stuffing yourself inside.

It was a good fit, and the slits were broken so you could see more of the outside than normal.

It seems as though birthday wishes mean nothing in comparison to raving lunatics though as Eddie immediately walks over to your locker. Almost as if he expected it. Almost as if this had already happened before. He leaned down and locked you in before saying something that you couldn't register through the fear. He'd caught you, and so easily! Tipping the locker over, Eddie began to pull it along and all you could do was hyperventilate. Dots decorated your vision and before you know it, you're out cold.

"_Waylon, I've made you dinner and cake. Come on, let's eat so you can open your presents!_" _Lisa had her hands on your shoulders, standing behind the couch as she watched you give your kids 'pony' rides with your legs. Michael and Aiden didn't want to stop, but at the mention of presents they instantly scrambled up to pull you to the dinner table. "Papa, eat so we can open presents!" Michael would cry, trying to shove your legs into going faster. Aiden would copy him and shout, "Hurry, Papa!" You'd stumble your way to the dining table, taking your usual seat. All of your favorite foods are spread out gorgeously and you can't help but feel your mouth begin to water. Even after that small slice of cake Lisa had given you earlier._

_Lisa takes as seat across from you and the boys are on either side of you, little Aiden needing a cushion so he can properly reach the table. The following couple of hours were spent eating and talking, Michael and Aiden hyping up their birthday surprise. You could only watch and smile fondly, taking another bite out of Lisa's cooking. She really was a fantastic wife who you probably didn't deserve._

_After dinner had been finished and dishes were put away, the decorated paper plates came out along with heavily frosted birthday cake. While you took a slice of both angel food and chocolate, Lisa took a smaller one that had both mixed. Aiden and Michael shared a piece because they were still young and couldn't finish a whole slice by themselves. The cake was sweet and spongy, just how you liked it. The frosting, more likely than not to give you cavities, was spread generously with a small spattering of sprinkles. Lisa really should consider taking a cooking job, she was so good. Your own confectionery skills could probably never match up to hers. Finished with the cake, you watched as your boys dragged over some gifts to you. One was a poorly wrapped box, while the other was a neat little gift bag._

_Of course, the traditional singing of 'Happy Birthday' came beforehand and you could only feel your heart swell in delight as your family sang off tune._

_"__Happy birthday, Waylon."_

_"__Happy birthday, Papa!"_

_You reach forward, prepared to take the medium sized box wrapped by your children. As you ripped away the paper, you idly noticed that the box itself looked like it was made of metal. However, when you touched it, it felt like regular cardboard. Maybe just some kind of design? Turning it over, you locate the little 'lock' where it's supposed to open and tug on it. It rattles, clanking like actual metal, but doesn't open. Frowning, you try again. Nothing, just more rattling. You suddenly begin to feel claustrophobic, and rattle the box's lock once more. "Kids, I..." You begin, but as you look up you realize that you're no longer in your cozy little home. No, you're surrounded by dirty cement walls and old, decrepit mattresses. Giving the box a more desperate shake, you begin to jiggle the handle with more determination. Behind you, a door slams, and you jolt up in surprise. The small box, now recognized as a kind of locker, falls from your grip to crash obscenely onto the floor._

_The door is facing upwards towards you, and there's a small hole in the grating._

_"__Darling."_

"Darling."

You hear the voices simultaneously and wake up, alarmed to see the ceiling above you through a broken grate. Eddie is above you, smiling. It seems he had be ranting once more, and had stopped moving the locker. Now his smile was deep, as if he knew some deep, dark secret about life. His hand reached out to gently touch the grating, his gloved fingers stained red and scarred. Eddie leaned in closer and you felt yourself shiver, subconsciously trying to press yourself further back into the locker. This position doesn't comfort you at all, and the fact that you're still locked up doesn't help either. Within the intimate little bubble he'd created, Eddie three sinful words roll off of his tongue.

"Happy birthday, Darling."

It almost feels like a jolt of electricity has shot through your veins, eyes wide as you stare up at this serial killer. How did he know it was your birthday?! You fumble with the camera, hoping the time setting on it hadn't changed from when you obtained it from Murkoff. No, the time was correct. It really was your birthday. How? How, how, how? Gasping in a breath, you feel ashamed that such information got out to this mad man. From the files you'd read about him, he was lethal and had more than a few screws loose. The fact that he knows it's your birthday doesn't make anything stable anymore.

Eddie once again strokes the grating, the adoration and amusement still laced through his features. "The day my dear darling was born... How wonderful! My dear, I feel so honored to share such a day with you. Even though it's your own birthday, you've wrapped yourself up like a present just for _me_. What a vixen you are." He disappears from view and you can feel the locker beginning to move again, dragging across the ground uncomfortably. What seems like an hour or so passes by, just staring up at a crumbling ceiling and walls with peeling paint. Eddie has been humming a little song for a while now, and you faintly register that it was the one playing on the music player from before.

You no longer wanted to associate that song with Lisa, too disgusted with the taint of this man. Lisa was an angel, this man may as well have been the devil incarnate.

Figuring out that the camera had a clock was a blessing as you used it to keep track of time, pitifully distracting yourself with its multiple little features. Sometimes you'd flick it on and off, sometimes switching back and forth from night vision. You'd zoom in and out, but that was pretty boring after a while since you only had one thing to look at. In the back of your mind you made a note to edit out all of this nonsense once you got out. Well, if you get out. Maybe you could make an early birthday wish, but no, that was wishful thinking. With a bump, the locker seemed to stop moving and Eddie grunted as he tipped it right side up.

In front of you, you can see a bloody operation table with a buzz saw at the end of it. On multiple hooks hung human parts and you tried hard not to retch. You didn't have any food to give up anyways, so it'd only be dry heaving at the most. Eddie appears before you in all of his insane glory, something odd clutched in one hand. Poking it through the grating, you realize that it's a hose nozzle. What? The answer comes soon though when a green gas begins to pour into your enclosed space. You cough and choke, although that doesn't stop Eddie. He just smiles and purrs something sweet to you, mirth never leaving his bloodshot eyes. All too soon you find yourself passing out once more, wishing to at least dream of Lisa and the boys.

_"__Papa, will you play with us once you're done?" Michael asks, with Aiden right behind him. You'd just finished unwrapping your presents and now all of you were relaxing in the living room. Of course you'd love to play with them, although you warned them that it couldn't be anything outside because it was late and they'd get upset stomachs. Your two angels cheered and raced away, probably to get some kind of action figure or stuffed animal. Michael had a few video games that you'd given him, but the boy didn't like to play with them in front of Aiden. He was a good brother and didn't want to make his sibling feel bad about being too young for his kind of video games. Lisa had taught them right._

_Settling onto the floor, you spread your arms wide so Aiden could tackle you. You noticed that he had some frosting on his cheek, so you licked your thumb and wiped it away for him. Teasingly you chastised him, telling him that such good frosting belongs in his mouth and not on his face. Lisa gave you a little kick from behind and told you not to influence him on any bad eating habits. He'd already had the max amount of frosting he was allowed for at least two weeks._

_The three of you ended up playing with some action figures and stuffed animals; Aiden and Michael had superheroes while you were stuck with your Koala plush. Somehow you three weaved together an odd story of koala villains and the danger of eating vegetables. Again Lisa gave you a small kick and you could only laugh. The boys were adamant though and you stuck with the idea that vegetables were the new poison. You were a koala after all. Another hour of playing passed by and soon it was dark out; Bed time. While you took Michael by the hand and Lisa picked up Aiden, you gave your wife a kiss. The night had been wonderful and you only wish it could last longer._

_Taking the stairs at a leisurely pace, you and Lisa both head to the boys' shared room and get them all prepared for sleep. Aiden is practically knocked out once his head hits the pillow, and it only takes a couple of minutes for Michael to follow suit. Tucking the blankets in snugly under their chins, you watch from the doorway as Lisa gives both goodnight kisses. Together, you both go to your room and prepare for bed as well._

_From behind, Lisa gives you a tight hug and whispers once more, "Happy birthday," before slipping in the direction of the bed. "I'm glad you had a good time." You slip in along with her after turning the light off. Carefully you two snuggle together and you let out a sigh of content. Nothing could be better than this day in your opinion. Beside you, Lisa has already fallen asleep. Slowly, you feel your own eyelids growing heavy and you allow them to glide shut._

_You must have drifted off at some point, because you encounter a nightmare. There is a man being pinned to a bloody operating table, and some stranger in a waistcoat is stabbing into him ruthlessly. Jolting awake, you pant a little as you look about. No, same old bedroom that you share with Lisa. She is still sleeping, so you decide to settle down and try to fall asleep once more. _

_After about an hour or so, you are once again assaulted with a nightmare. This time, the same stranger from before is touching a man, the look on his face is one of praise. The man beneath him seems unresponsive, not moving an inch. That is, until the stranger draws a knife and cuts down the man's abdomen. Such an action produces a scream and you flinch, watching terrified as the stranger swears something ugly before slamming the poor soul's head into the rotating buzz saw._

_Again you jolt awake and sit up, looking about you with a new found adrenaline. Glancing down to see if your wife noticed your distress, you find that she is still somehow sleeping peacefully. Rubbing your head awkwardly, you huff a breath and get up to walk to the bathroom. Washing your face in cold water, you allow yourself to take a deep breath before walking back towards your bed. Everything is as you left it and you intend to keep it that way. Lying down on your bed, you feel that it seems harder. Rougher. Ignoring it, you allow your eyes to drift shut and your limbs to relax._

_It seems that there is no rest for the weary, however, as you wake once more to a distant voice. Lisa? No, she's still sleeping next to you. This voice is farther, quieter... Masculine._

_"__Darling."_

"Darling."

That name again, that voice again... You awake with a gasp, panting as you look around yourself frantically. Your legs and arms are tingling, and you find that it's because they've been tied at an upward angle to four wooden planks. Embarrassingly, you are naked and a flush crawls all the way up from your neck to your forehead. All of this time, you barely registered that that same masculine voice from your dreams was speaking to you now. Eddie, that's right, his name is Eddie. That was Eddie you saw torturing other patients.

Looking up and to the right, you watch as Eddie points out to two distinct areas on your chest. After that, he blatantly takes a look at your penis before commenting on that as well. Since your eyes are directed down that way, you notice that the buzz saw is sitting there. In your eyes, it looks almost like a rabid hound just waiting to sink its fangs into you.

Eddie makes another remark as he begins the saw, and before you know it you're being moved down, down, down towards the spinning blade. Your hands clench into fists and you wiggle around, trying desperately to escape. There is none, however, and a hopeless moan escapes you as you feel faint wisps of air coming from the saw. It's close, too close. Eddie suddenly stops pushing this makeshift cradle for a moment to smile down at you, as if reassuring you that what's happening is good. It's not.

All too soon you feel it, the rotating blade ripping and slicing through your most intimate parts. Vaguely, you hear screaming and realize it's your own. Hot tears that feel like lava slide down your face, while Eddie just pushes further and further until you can almost feel the blade slicing into the bottom of your stomach. There is a heavy stench in the air, and it's fresh blood. Fresh blood, your blood, precious blood that you need to survive. Shock begins to set in and you almost feel like everything below your torso has numbed to all sensation. You can't even tense your leg muscles anymore; There's no feeling in them.

You stare determinedly at the ceiling, swallowing hard as you refuse to look down at the mutilation Eddie's done to your body.

It's almost like black static has settled in your brain, and your breathing has become slightly labored. Your mouth feels dry and your throat raw, your face soaked through with tears of agony. Eddie turned off the saw and pulled you back, examining his work with glee.

The reason is because you're perfect, you're all he's wanted.

You're his darling.

As the static gets heavier on your mind, you flinch as something rough and cold touches your cheek. It's Eddie's hand. You blink away a fresh wave of tears and try hard to focus on him, head and chest aching like nothing else. Eddie leans in to place what seems to be a tender kiss to your forehead.

"Happy birthday, Darling. This is the day that perfection like you was born, and this shall also be the day that perfection like you was made into something extraordinary. I love you, Darling."

You pass on feeling oddly fulfilled.


End file.
